Open Table Session Report (#15) - Descent to the Crypts
Player Characters
Wynn (Cleric 2), accompanied by Callios (Fighter 1)
Robin Redwood (Magic-User 2), accompanied by Losandro (Thief 1)
Poppy Tumbletop (Halfling 1), accompanied by Artos (Fighter 1)
Prep
Robin learned Magic Missile from Elowen's spellbook, which took 2 days and cost 25sp. Wynn purchased an illuminated manuscript on plant and herb lore from Phelia the sage, costing 50sp, and a new shield, costing 15sp.
Robin was elected Captain of the delve. Wynn took on mapping duties. Poppy recorded their progress.
The party chose to pursue their lead on the shrine of Rhilea and offer an item of knowledge to the Great Lady's archive. As a secondary objective they decided to attempt to descend to the second level via the shaft found in the south-west of the first level.
Events
Wynn cast Detect Life. The party moved quickly to the shrine of Rhilea discovered by Robin and Maleneth in previous delves. They encountered no traps or denizens of Whiterock. Wynn offered the manuscript he had purchased to the shrine. It glowed and dissolved into light and the door beyond the shrine opened. A library devoid of texts lay beyond - searching the place turned up 273sp in ancient coinage and an oathbreaker brand worth 100sp. On their return trip they heard the distant sounds of reptilian hissing and porcine squealing.
In the room near the entrance with the magical obelisk, Wynn, Robin and Callios forced open the eastern portcullis. Moving into the mossy, damp room beyond, Wynn felt living presences approach. A troop of winged apes arrived to study the obelisk and engaged the party in friendly conversation - Kadmacho wanted information on the structure and one of the apes began taking charcoal rubbings. The party gave them details of how it worked, which the apes said would please their master. The apes warned the party to be careful and to not die.
Forcing the next portcullis, the party were faced with the narrow shaft descending through the rock beneath them. Wynn and Poppy tied their ropes together and fixed the line to a spike at the top of the shaft. Wynn tied his lantern to the bottom of the rope and lowered it down. Callios was first to descend, quickly giving an all clear signal.
The room below was similarly constructed to the first level, only with regular ossuaries and torch sconces on the walls. The air reeked of bad meat, which concerned the party due to a rumour that foul air could drive one to madness in the crypts. Wynn fashioned a face mask from a sack.
Heading through a door to the north-west, the party entered a room filled with smashed funeral biers and the lingering scent of incense. Light shone through a portcullis to the east. Robin and Wynn searched through the room while Poppy took a look through the portcullis. The room beyond was lit by a panoply of lanterns in a variety of styles hanging from the ceiling - strange motes of light flitted between them. Harsh voices and shuffling stamping noises echoed from the north - Poppy recognised the voice as calling parade commands in High Korathi. Wynn and Robin's search turned up nothing of value.
The party ventured north, arriving in a room where the floor was slick with the sharp-smelling contents of smashed amphorae, possibly embalming oil. Through an archway to the east echoed the same rasping voices and marching sounds.
Poppy stepped into the archway, surprising a dozen ghouls dressed in ragged scraps of armour undertaking a demented facsimile of military drill. The ghouls sprang into a rough formation and prepared to fight. The room was filled with the remains of the ghouls' 'rations' as well as a mix of faded military standards and newer crude approximations fashioned of bones, viscera, and fabric scraps. Poppy, having heard that the dead in the crypts were bound to obey commands in the Ancient Tongue, made the bold claim that she was their new leader. The ghoul leader hissed at the lie and the undead mob charged forth.
The majority of the ghouls lunged towards the party in an animalistic frenzy, all pretence of civilised behaviour gone, but three ran south to the room with the lanterns. The party's rearguard wisely spiked shut the door they had entered through to hold up the ghouls' flanking manoeuvre. In the melee that followed, the party successfully slew half the ghouls' number and put them to flight, despite Wynn's attempts to turn the undead monsters failing twice, but the fighter Callios fell to the paralysing claws of the fiends.
Victorious, but having lost a noble ally, the party retreated with their loot and successfully exfiltrated the dungeon. Back in town, a funeral was held for their fallen comrade.
Outcomes
Treasure retrieved: 373sp
Combat XP: 6 ghouls (35XP) - 210XP
XP from funerals: 703XP
Shares: 93sp (full) | 46sp (half) - 388XP (full, including funeral XP) | 72XP (half)
Feats of Exploration:
Conclusively resolve a lead (Rhilean shrine) (5%)
Uncover additional information about a lead, or open a new lead (located the crypts, Kadmacho wants information on the machines in Whiterock) (4%)
Apply lore in a useful or flavourful manner (attempted to command the undead in the Ancient Tongue) (2%)
Confirm a rumour’s veracity (the air in the crypts doesn't induce madness) (2%)
Overcome a puzzle (bypassed the shrine's guardian with a gift of knowledge) (2%)
Total: 13% required for next level, plus bonuses for player roles.
Robin Redwood is now a 3rd level Magic-User.
Thoughts
This session went really well. There were a few last minute cancellations and a no-show, but the three players at the table really shone. We had a new player join us who got really stuck in to things - they'd played 5e and some White Wolf games but this was their first foray into 'OSR' gaming. They said they had a great time, and they've already signed up for the next session - I count that as a win.
The changes I made after last session helped things a lot. We were able to cover downtime and finalise their objectives quickly in the preamble, the players liked having an overall authority to turn to for party decisions, a quick break on the hour (or as close as possible) kept people fresh, and the objectives taken from the leads kept them focused. The players bounced off each other well and brought a good energy, and I was feeling in a good place while running things. They didn't open any new leads, but I'm going to limit them to one new lead a session if they do, based on a discussion with Idraluna and Owl on the Gay Beholder Discord.
Had a ruling moment were Wynn's player failed a Turn Undead roll - I said they could retry next round but their god might be angry if they failed again. Now I have to think up some kind of divine penance... Also for some reason I ruled Turn Undead as a missile attack rather than a spell - I think I'm going to change that in the next session, Turn Undead will effectively be like casting a spell in that it effectively takes a whole round and 'goes off' in the spell phase.
The ghouls were a big shock to the players - they're terrified of the paralysation attacks. I do wonder about their ability to assess risk, as they very much allowed themselves to get boxed into a corner and were a few lucky rolls away from a TPK. However they pulled through in dire circumstances, which is what heroic stories are made of, no? Callios' death was genuinely mourned - he'd been a stalwart hireling, one of the few to wound the Minotaur, and a firm favourite for his devastating greataxe swings. He will be missed.
Excellent session. It feels like a return to form.